I present hereunder a case study (our experience) “Iron‑Enriched Fish Powder Improved Haemoglobin Levels in Adolescent Girls of West Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya, India” carried out by Asha Kurukkan Kunnath, Suseela Mathew, Mukteswar Prasad Mothadaka and Ravishankar Chandragiri Nagaraja Rao, published in Biol Trace Elem Res 200, 2017–2024 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02820-0.
The efficacy of sodium iron EDTA (NaFeEDTA) salt-enriched fish powder in addressing iron deficiency in adolescent anaemic girls was assessed in a 60-day randomised double-blinded, controlled intervention trial involving 123 girls age ranging from 10 to 19 years in three villages of West Jaintia Hills District of State of Meghalaya in India using soup made out of sodium iron EDTA (NaFeEDTA)-enriched fish powder (250 mg/100 g). The influence of the iron-enriched powder on blood haemoglobin levels and serum iron was determined. The work also analysed the food consumed by the subjects during the study period and it was found that there were no significant differences between the iron-enriched and control groups. The results indicated that the girls predominantly consumed cereals with little fruits, vegetables and meat. On an average, 100 ml of soup prepared out of 10 g of fish powder per day was consumed that theoretically provided about 25 mg of iron each day. Following intervention, all the participants in the group that consumed soup made out of NaFeEDTA-enriched fish powder had significantly higher haemoglobin levels and serum iron and a lower prevalence of anaemia than the control group. The effects of NaFeEDTA salt-enriched fish powder were statistically significant and it can be inferred that NaFeEDTA-enriched fish powder was highly effective in controlling iron deficiency and reducing the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia among the adolescent girls
From right to food perspective the major impediment is lack and access to nutritive food especially in hinterland areas. For instance, the low cost fish available in coastal areas, but the transportation from these areas (West Coast of India) to North Eastern states makes the cost prohibitive due to 1. Long distance transportation 2. Perishable nature of fish 3. Availability (supply) of fish on continuous basis for the reasons of dwindling catches in natural marine sources, impact of climate changes on fish resources, increase in expenditures harvesting efforts in turn increase in cost of fish. COVID-19 played a significant role as in post COVID period cost of all food items increased significantly
One of the best ways to improve the right to food condition is 1. Employment of rural and low cost technological interventions in storing glut production of various foods and development value added products to suit local needs. This can result in minimizing the staggering losses, enhanced utilization and availability food in off seasons.
Concerted efforts are in need to make sure the food is acceptable to the needy
The needs of small Scale fishers have been identified. One of the best ways to improve socio-economic condition is financial literacy especially among women fishers. A structured condition will cater to the needs of all aspects that includes poverty and hunger.
The finest example of empathy among women fishers is "Godavari Maha samakhya" is the group that caters to the needs so many families by collecting fistful of rice from each household of near 20,000 families, pooled and distributed to the needy families. This is in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh state, India.
Other details provided in the attached file.
For all purposes, the plans of action needs to be categorized into Short term, medium and long term kind. To reach SDG by 2030 that included poverty alleviation and meeting hunger demands only mode left is blitzkrieg.
The observations and comments therein are based on my experience with a hope they will of some use.
Do you find the proposed scope comprehensive to analyze and discuss the key issues concerning the role of urban and peri-urban food systems in achieving food security and nutrition? Are there any major gaps or omissions?
Not many. Gaps will surface during Pragmatization.
1.Food loss and waste prevention to a larger extent is important for betterment of urban and per-urban food systems.
2. MNCs and other foundations can divert their funds intended for charity to purchase foods that go waste
3. In view of the space constraint Vertical Expansion of Food Production is more feasible to meet location specific demands.
Share good practices and successful experiences on strengthening urban and peri-urban food systems in the context of urbanization and rural transformation, including in the case of emergencies or conflicts?
The White Spot Disease in Tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) resulted in devastating losses to the aquaculture industry. All the aquaculturists switched on to Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Details of highly successful case study provided below.
Introduction of new shrimp species Litopenaeus vannamei has brought a sea change in Indian shrimp production and processing industry. Andhra Pradesh is a leading state in cultured shrimp production and the present study investigates the changing trends in cultured shrimp production and its impact on seafood processing of the State. Results of the study showed that 83.6% of the cultured shrimp production in Andhra Pradesh was attributed to L. vannamei. With the increase in production, structural changes became pre-requisite for seafood processing firms and they have incorporated changes such as establishment of additional plants, increasing the capacity utilization of existing plants and installation of more efficient equipment. There was an increase of 37.12% in installed capacity and 53.1% increase in capacity utilization of shrimp processing plants due to increased shrimp production. Spill-over effects were visible; employment opportunities and income of the employees increased. Strict implementation of scientific farming techniques and quality management are vital to sustain growth of the industry (Ashok, A., et al, 2015)
Ref: Arathy Ashok, L. N. Murthy, B. Madhusudana Rao, Jesmi Debbarma, M. M. Prasad1, V. Geetha Lakshmi and Nikita Gopal (2015). Impact of Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) on Shrimp Production and Seafood Processing in Andhra Pradesh. Fishery Technology 52: 53 – 57.
Based on the experience in-puts were provided for each query
i. Continuous increase in urban population.
ii. Migratory nature of population of intra-country and inter-country
1. Better transportation, especially for perishable food produce
2. Development of innovative value added products from glut produce. This caters to the urban nutritive requirements and also improvement in socio-economic conditions of the primary producers.
1. Incentvize all the players to ensure quality from farm to fork
2. Development quality guidelines for all miscellaneous products.
1. Provide sufficient space for sale of produce
2. Hand holding of Small players in Business, Planning and Development
3. Making all transactions virtual.
1. Enhancement in application of solar energy
2. Transportation by electrical vehicles
1. Absence of guidelines.
2. Implementation of existing policies.
This is very good question. All the times world over efforts are centered on enhanced level of food production and nutritive values of the same but not satiates of ethnic or migrant populations. This is not a major problem for South Asia that harbors one fifth of world population as food habits of habitants are more or less same. However, satiety needs can be met with imitation products.
1. Over all development in economy, GDP are immediate benefits
2.If we concentrate on population per se big players get benefit and if it is territorial markets small scale businesses develop.
1. Reduction in poverty levels.
2. Generation of sustainable income.
3. Enhancement in wellbeing of humans. This in turn better health and lessening of DALY, improved QALY and ILY. Enhanced levels of productivity. Less burden on exchequer of respective nations in managing infections
As mentioned earlier making everything, virtual with simplest possible local language .
1. Reduction in lifestyle diseases.
Few observations that can impact FS
1.Urbanization is resulting in reduction in land available for cultivation.
2. Continuous enhancement in population to asking more land for development
3. Vertical expansion in urban development can decrease encroachment of land intended for agriculture.
4. Extraordinary enhancement land prices making farmers abandon agriculture which is less profitable in nature for so many factors that influence production namely 1. Water scarcity 2. Climate changes 3. Fluctuating prices 4. Lack of sustainable financial resources. These issues needs special attention for betterment of FS
5.Use of AI in accurate weather forecasting and dissemination of outcome to agri-farmers, aquaculturists and animal husbandry wherever farming takes place, irrespective of large and small scale levels.
One of the major barriers is absence of Financial Literacy among marginal farmers, especially women across all sectors of agriculture, animal husbandry and aquaculture.
The absence of Financial Literacy felt in different ways.
1. Management of glut production
2. Obtaining and repayment of loans
3. Managing variable sources of income
Three important factors that influence / that are needed for sustainable FS included
1.Employment of AI system
2. Financial literacy
3. Development and introduction of weather doctoring technologies
Successful Scientific case study
Iron-Enriched Fish Powder Improved Haemoglobin Levels in Adolescent Girls of West Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya, India (2002). Asha Kurukkan Kunnath, Suseela Mathew, Mukteswar Prasad Mothadaka, Ravishankar Chandragiri Nagaraja Rao. Biological trace element research 2022 v.200 no.5 pp. 2017-2024.
Premises:
1. One of the extremely serious health implications, especially in adolescent girls and expectant mothers is low levels of haemoglobins. Despite so many attempts the problem is not solved completely.
2. During fishing operations (marine) significant quantities of unwanted and very low priced fish gets into fishing nets. These fish catches left outside fishing harbours are sources of pollution and when in degradation spread diseases too. At times these catches are used as poultry feed purposes. One of the best methods of utilization is making these catches into powered form that could be preserved for longer periods of time when prepared in hygienic conditions by scientific methods. These powered fish can be used in various value added products that included soup to meet protein requirements of people living in hinterland regions, who are undernourished and are economically underprivileged to afford expensive food items.
The study
This study was carried out to assess the efficacy of sodium iron EDTA (NaFeEDTA) salt-enriched fish powder in addressing iron deficiency in adolescent anaemic girls. This was a 60-day randomised double-blinded, controlled intervention trial involving 123 girls age ranging from 10 to 19 years in three villages of West Jaintia Hills District of State of Meghalaya in India using soup made out of sodium iron EDTA (NaFeEDTA)-enriched fish powder (250 mg/100 g). The influence of the iron-enriched powder on blood haemoglobin levels and serum iron was determined. The research also analysed the food consumed by the study subjects during the study period and it was found that there were no significant differences between the iron-enriched and control groups. The results indicated that the girls predominantly consumed cereals with little fruits, vegetables and meat. On an average, 100 ml of soup prepared out of 10 g of fish powder per day was consumed that theoretically provided about 25 mg of iron each day. Following intervention, all the participants in the group that consumed soup made out of NaFeEDTA-enriched fish powder had significantly higher haemoglobin levels and serum iron and a lower prevalence of anaemia than the control group. The effects of NaFeEDTA salt-enriched fish powder were statistically significant and it can be inferred that NaFeEDTA-enriched fish powder was highly effective in controlling iron deficiency and reducing the prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia among the adolescent girls
Suggestion included:
Background to the issue
I provide here under a case study of "HUDHUD a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) that hit the east coast at Vishakhapatnam,Andhra Pradesh State, India on 12th Oct, 2014. Despite the fact that the cyclone was not the most severe cyclone that hit the Indian coast, however, it had the most devastating impact during the landfall. I was in the city next to coast (few hundred meters away).
In post cyclone conditions 1. Emergency meetings were held.2. Loss assessments were made 3. Reports were published.
A paper was published by me on how to mitigate measures of cyclone that included, short, mid and long term kind (Reference: Prasad, MM (2014). HUDHUD, A case study. In the background of Tropical cyclones (TC) in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and their impact on fisheries. Fishing Chimes 34(7):16-20)
One of the simplest solutions I suggested was to raise casuarina plantation of of 150 meters width all along the coast. We can not stop cyclones but we can predict the landfall and can reduce the tidal surge if we have sufficient plantations.
The implementation did not take place and possible reasons include:
At the same time, it need to stressed that after Hud Hud significant developments took place from all walks of life that included important contributions policy makers and implementation to such an extent that Viskhapatnam reverted back to full fledged commercial and other activities in few months time.
Dr. Mukteswar Mothadaka
Kind Attention:
Greetings of the day. Please note following are the observations made on the subject under discussion.
One of the transboundary and emerging agrifood systems threats is in the form of water resource which is life line of agrifood systems is
Out of a total of 193 countries in the world 77% (148) of them share two rivers, 15 % (30) three rivers 0.047% (9) through four and 0.067% (13) through five or more countries. Contaminated waters, untreated effluents in the form of rivers transmit number of diseases is serious negative externality the countries have to deal with (Hayward et al., 2022). In the absence of proper containment procedures that are pragmatic in nature the economic loss due to microbial infections from the environment and foods coupled with antimicrobial resistance is enormous (Nadella et al., 2023).
Since, most of the nations are sharing the aquatic resources, it is important it is responsibility of all nations that water pollution of all kinds (physical; plastics, metals); biological: microbial and macrobial and chemical (industrial, municipal etc,) pollutants. This comes under policy and governance
II. Migratory nature of animals and human that can transmit diseases of crops, animals and human health hazard needs proper address and foremost here is assessment of threats clearly, in unequivocal terms sans any kind of ambiguity.
2. Complete shift from analyses to “synthesis” orientation in monitoring food productivity and production can yield sustainable outcome.
Among the selected emerging agrifood technologies and innovations: The following can be prioritized in view of relative advantage and shorter period of decade and above of Estimated time to Maturity.
1.Agriculture innovation Policy La with relative advantage (RA) of 6.48 and Estimated time to Mature (ETM) of 2035.
2. Energy storage technologies with RA;6.46 &ETM 2036
3.Nature Based and ecosystems innovations RA 6.76 & ETM 2036
4.Societal Impact Bonds RA 6.26 & ETM 2036
5. Real Time Satellites imagery, positioning, systems and autonomous GIS RA 6.20 & ETM 2036
Points to ponder:
1.In global ranking of agrifood systems drivers based on a real-time Delphi Question Climate Change is ranking top and Geopolitical instability and increasing conflicts ranked eighth. If not handled properly this may reach top from eighth position. As far as Climate change is concerned what we are in immediate need is Disruptive Weather Engineering Technologies to reduce the local impact if not controlling the same.
2. In the agrifood system challenges next to national and international governance we need add geopolitical instability and increasing levels of conflicts as one of the challenges to facilitate drawing attention from leaders and policy makers.
3. However, “Exacerbating of global conflicts and mass casualties” ranked top in the wildcards with potential for high impact on emerging technologies and innovations in the agrifood systems.